Ephesians 5:20… Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Adon, Yeshua HaMashiach.The old saying, 'Be careful what you pray for, you may get it' is true. When the children of Israel complained about their diet in the desert Abba gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them (Psalms 106:15). The lifestyle of the disciple is not generally one of abundance. The Nazarene sect of the early Israeli disciples of the Master were nicknamed, the 'Ebionites', meaning, the 'poor ones' (Galatians 2:10). There is nothing wrong with abundance as it certainly can be a sign of God's blessing, the problem is not abundance, but our attitude towards it, an attitude very well described in the episode of the Children of Israel and the quails (Numbers 11).If there is anything God hates I think it is whining, grumbling and complaining, especially against our own blessings. Here the Children of Israel had experienced the miracles of miracles since coming out of Egypt. From and enslaved people, they were going to be established as a sovereign nation in a country flowing with milk and honey, but all they could think was about a little more variation in their present diet? The problem was not 'Manna' or 'fish' abundance or poverty, the problem was the spirit of entitlement.We are not owed anything by the Almighty, except maybe a good whooping. The attitude that needs to emanate from our spirit is, Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD (Job 1:21). The minute we approach life in a spirit of entitlement, we are bound to disappointment, discouragement, and eventual failure. I think this to be the problem behind depression, sadness, and discouragement. We have been mistreated and it's oh so unfair; so we give up and curl up in self-pity licking our wounds.There is something very special about food. We think we are entitled to eat whatever we want in the quantity that we want. Nothing in life works that way. In everything we need to learn the discipline to choose the good and eschew the evil, but when it comes to food, we think we are entitled to whatever suits our palate. As a result, in America we have an epidemic of obesity. The first notion of sin ever taught us was about something to eat. Also a big part of God's requests for His people is concerning their diet.There is old song I sing sometimes: God has not promised skies ever blue, flower strewn pathways all our lives through. God has not promised sun without rain, joy without sadness, peace without pain.But He has promised strength for each day, grace for all trials, light for our way, Rest after labor, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying love. May we learn that we are not entitled to protection, health, or wealth, only to redemption, and eventual resurrection in the 'World to Come'; May it come soon Abba, even in our days!

John 3:14-15As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.For forty years the children of Israel wondered in the desert under God’s heavenly care. They were protected from wild beasts, snakes, they ate heavenly food and a rock of water followed them. The narrative even tells us that their shoes and garment did not even go thread bare. It would be easy for that new generation of Israelite to become self-righteous against their fathers, but as the old adage says, ‘the apple did not fall far from the tree’ and as is generally the case, the new generation met with failure the same tests that were presented to their fathers. As soon as Miriam died, the water failed which caused the Children of Israel to rebel against Moses. They complained so much that they wished to have met the same destiny as their fathers. They even questioned Moses about bringing them out of Egypt (Numbers 20:1-5). The dynamics of complaint are very strange. Being a generation born in the desert, they were complaining while wishing for something they never experienced; something they had no frame of reference for. After Moses provided the people with water, the Edomites refused passage to Israel which caused the people to complain again because of the difficulty of the way. We can certainly relate to their reactions. We, who are often carried on the Father’s wings of care, often omit to see the mighty miracles of provision and protection He does for us daily and are quick to complain about daily inconveniences, problems and setbacks. Because of their complaints, God allowed snakes to afflict the people. Whereas we may think that the appearance of snakes was a miracle, the real miracle is that this region is infested with snakes, but we don’t hear of snake problems before. Like the parent frustrated by the whining of his offspring wants to give them something real to complain about, the Father temporarily removed His protection (Numbers 21: 4-9). When the people repented from their complaining, they asked Moses to intercede for them. The Almighty then sayd to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live" (Numbers 21: 8).God was redirecting their vision upward. They were learning not to look at Moses for their daily needs and protection, but upward to God. The Hebrew word used for ‘pole’ is the word ‘nes’, meaning ‘miracle’. God certainly did a redemptive miracle on that day as the people looked at the bronze snake and were healed. Yeshua compared Himself to that snake on a pole and said, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life (John 3:14-15). The symbol of as snake on a pole has now become an international symbol for pharmacies. As we read these stories of the true pioneers of the faith, let us remember that these things happened to them as an ensample for us upon whom the end of the world has come (1 Corinthians 10:6). May we then learn also to not look to man for direction protection and provision, but as Moses told the people on that day, ‘Look up, and live!’